1. HUB
ISSUE 33
HUB
game changers. thought leaders. rule breakers. style makers
TRAILBLAZERSTHE
ANNE HATHAWAY ON FRAGILITY
ARIANNA HUFFINGTON SCREW BURNOUT
JACK DORSEY PLAYING FAIR & SQUARE
+ HOW TO STOP EDITING YOUR DREAMS
& START OWNING WHAT YOU WANT

2. COLLECTIVE HUB 000
THE MOST CHALLENGING
MOMENT AS A MOTHER SO
FAR? Phoenix was in a bad accident last
November where he suffered a serious
injury to his leg. We didn’t know if we
would even make it to the hospital in
time as he severed his arteries, muscles
and all the nerves. We are still recovering
from it and doing physical therapy
for this whole year. I can break down
thinking of that moment at any given
second. Life is so fragile and it taught us
to never take anything for granted. But
I do believe things are meant to happen
for a reason and Phoenix is stronger than
ever now; he’s such a fighter. For this
to happen at such a young age, having
to fight for his leg back, he will always
know that hard work pays off and to
never, ever give up. >
@dixie_rose
YOU’RE A MUM, DESIGNER AND
BUSINESSWOMAN – WHAT DOES
AN AVERAGE DAY LOOK LIKE IN
YOUR WORLD? Starting Arvo [Cafe]
this year has been absolutely insane
and flipped our entire lives. We used to
practically live at the beach, play most of
the day and cook a nice meal and work
on Oopsy Daze after Phoenix went to
bed. We could be really selfish and just
do whatever and go wherever. Now, with
a cafe that requires a set schedule, we
have been forced to implement a routine.
We’re in bed by 8pm most days now and
up at 5.30am. [My husband] Mason was
always an early bird but for me, this was
a huge thing to get used to. The cafe
is our baby right now and we need to
nurture it, but it’s most important to us
to keep Phoenix a priority above all…
when I stop to think about it, I seriously
start going cross-eyed. Friends now visit
us at Arvo and I have more of a social
life, which is really great and one thing
I missed since becoming a mum.
HOW DID THE CONCEPT FOR
OOPSY DAZE COME ABOUT?
When Phoenix was around two, we had
ideas of what we wanted him to wear and
if we couldn’t find it, we figured, why
not make it? So one year in Bali, we had
them make some printed harem pants
and tees, which became his wardrobe
staples. With help from great mentors and
support from our families, we started our
first collection. To this day, it makes me
so happy when Phoenix goes to pick my
designs out of all the clothes he has!
YOU CO-FOUNDED OOPSY DAZE
WITH YOUR HUSBAND. WHAT
IS THE KEY TO MAINTAINING
A HAPPY PARTNERSHIP WHEN
YOU’RE BUSY? We are literally
together all the time and it’s not easy.
We are best friends as well as each other’s
biggest pushers and critics. Knowing
we have each other’s back is always so
important and knowing our roles in the
businesses as well as at home. Getting
away from it all is absolutely necessary,
even if it’s just for a quick lunch together
or a trip somewhere.
THE MOST VALUABLE PIECE OF
PARENTING ADVICE YOU’VE
RECEIVED? Not to fuss or freak out.
If they fall, they will get back up. You’re
not doing them any favours by freaking
out with them. Children are a lot more
resilient than we think.
FEATURE
Bringing a little human into the planet
can open the door to a BRAVE new world
where INSIGHT is catapulted into a whole
new dimension. We speak to four creative
MAMAS about this WILD RIDE.
WORDS AMY MILLS
DIXIE
ROSE
LIVES: Oahu, Hawaii
OCCUPATION: Designer,
co-founder and owner of Oopsy
Daze Kids and Arvo Cafe
MUM TO: Phoenix, 5, and baby
number two due in August

3. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS
ON ACHIEVING A WORK/LIFE
BALANCE? I have yet to find it, to
be honest! However, I have found that
when you need help, you need to ask
– whether it’s from a friend or family.
If you can hire someone, hire them, or
outsource the small things because it’s
worth being able to do school pick-ups
and see your kid run to you. We all
know that doesn’t last forever.
YOUR OWN MOTHER WAS
RIGHT ABOUT… That when you start
having kids, you just can’t stop. She had
five. I don’t know if I’m that crazy!
WHAT’S ONE OF THE MOST
TREASURED MOMENTS YOU’VE
SHARED WITH YOUR SON? I
really, really love traveling with him and
exploring a new city or revisiting our
favourites. We took him to the craziest
off-Broadway show in New York called
Fuerza Bruta. Looking back, a lot of the
content was probably inappropriate for
him and I remember I kept looking at his
face to see if he was freaking out in the
beginning. But he loved every minute of
it – the gunshots, the half-naked dancers,
the music and the set crashing onto us.
He was screaming and clapping and
cheering like the rest of us. I was so proud
that he was able to appreciate the art of
it all and not take it too seriously. He
lives with wide, bright eyes ready to soak
everything in. Doing it together is just
that much more special.
WHAT’S YOUR PARENTING
STYLE? Loose! [Laughs]. People would
say that we are a very close family and we
raise him with tough love but treat him
as an individual. We try our best to be
honest with him.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST IN
HIM? His one-liners, his little back
muscles when he swims, his cheeky smile
peeking through his curls. I secretly
like it when he calls me Dixie even if
I’m supposed to be like, ‘NO! I’m your
mother!’ His compassion for other kids.
WHAT’S YOUR DREAM FOR
YOUR CHILDREN?
To be their best selves and follow their
heart to be absolutely anything they
want to be and to know we will support
them no matter how crazy their dreams.
MORGAN
BRECHLER
LIVES: Arizona, US
OCCUPATION: Adventurer, co-founder
of Born Wild Project and student (urban
horticulture/sustainable agriculture)
MUM TO: Hadlie, 4
PHOTOGRAPHY:@JAREDMARVEL

4. her imagination. I have always received
compliments from my friends about
my parenting, the way we expect
communication from her when she has
those toddler tantrums, how we have
made being outside a priority instead of
putting her in front of a TV all weekend.
WHAT’S BEEN THE MOST
VALUABLE PIECE OF PARENTING
ADVICE YOU’VE RECEIVED?
It’s cheesy but to appreciate every
moment because it goes so fast. One
moment you have a newborn baby
and you find yourself wishing for a
toddler because you’re ready to have
a child who is talking, walking and
making decisions. Then you have that
stubborn, independent toddler and
you find yourself wishing you had a
10-year-old because you cannot handle
another meltdown over using the wrong
colour plate. But it’s important to live
in the moment. Don’t miss a thing and
appreciate each stage of their crazy lives
because at the end of the day, you will
want that child to forever be your little
baby. They will be 18 and leaving the
house to carry on into their adult life
in the blink of an eye.
WHAT’S BEEN YOUR MOST
HEART-WRENCHING MOMENT
AS A MOTHER SO FAR? I had a very
difficult pregnancy and delivery with
Hadlie. I was on hospitalised bed rest up
right up until my emergency c-section.
Hadlie then had to spend some time
in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Leaving the hospital without my
baby – they wouldn’t let us stay the
night with her – was by far the most
challenging thing I’ve ever had to do.
HOW DO YOU HOPE HADLIE
WILL DESCRIBE YOU AS A
MOTHER IN THE YEARS TO
COME? Being a parent is hard. We
never feel like we are doing a good
enough job. We have many failures
and sometimes want to throw a
temper tantrum on the floor like our
kiddos because it can be so damn
stressful. Hadlie has seen me in my
best moments and she has also seen
me in some not-so-great moments.
I just hope that she will describe me
as a loving mother and that she will
know that I always tried my hardest
to be the best role model, protector,
best friend, mother, adventure
partner and confidant that I can be. >
@morganbrechler
We are not full-
time adventurers or
professional athletes.
We are just parents
who have the same
PRIORITY in life and
spend as much time as
possible OUTSIDE.
MORE THAN 100,000 PEOPLE
NOW FOLLOW YOUR EPIC
WEEKEND HIKING ADVENTURES
ON INSTAGRAM. WHAT HAS
CAPTIVATED SO MANY PEOPLE?
Instagram is by far the best and worst
social media platform out there. I have
so many bittersweet feelings towards it.
Currently, I have a large following and it
is so strange to me. My life is beautiful
on Instagram! Perfect sunset photos, a
slew of photos where my toddler looks
blissfully happy at all times, a disgusting
amount of perfectly adorable mushy love
photos of [my partner] Jared and I. Don’t
get me wrong, I am in no way saying
my Instagram is fake. But people seem
to forget that my life is sometimes not
so beautiful in between all those pretty
square photos. Sometimes I am stuck
at work late in an office totally missing
those perfect sunsets and Hadlie still has
those toddler breakdowns because she
can’t have 10 lollipops for lunch while we
are out camping. And Jared and I are not
perfect – we bicker about who loads the
dishwasher better and I lose my damn
mind every time he leaves the shower
curtain open after he’s done. I just ask
people to not be too hard on themselves
when they are feeling jealous over
someone’s seemingly perfect life, because
I promise you, it’s not. With all of that
being said, it’s a very rewarding feeling
to know that I have so much support,
love and am inspiring other parents and
showing them that even when living
a busy life, it is possible to get outside
and make things happen.
WHAT IS THE MOST SPECIAL
MOMENT YOU’VE SHARED WITH
HADLIE IN THE OUTDOORS?
When we take her climbing and I get
to see the look on her face after she
accomplishes a climb, my heart flutters.
When I watch her confidence build after
every move she makes on a climb, those
moments are my favourite.
WHAT DO YOU WANT YOUR
DAUGHTER TO TAKE AWAY
FROM YOUR WAY OF LIFE?
I hope that she always holds on dear to
our moments and is forever filled with
love when she thinks about the way she
was raised.
DO YOU HAVE ANY NON-
NEGOTIABLES WHEN IT COMES
TO PARENTING? Yes, when it
comes to nutrition. We live a plant-
based lifestyle. Keeping her diet clean
and organic is something that is really
important to us.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE
YOUR PARENTING STYLE?
Probably as a scene from The Jungle
Book. We like to keep it wild. On the
weekends when we are out camping
or adventuring, you can find Hadlie
throwing rocks and running around
barefoot pretending to be a wild horse
and I am usually right there with her,
just as filthy and playing along with
THE BORN WILD PROJECT
COMPRISES A DOCUMENTARY
FILM SERIES AND WEBSITE –
HOW DID IT BEGIN? It went from
just a low-key parents’ get-together
to a film. The response to the project
has been so positive and people are so
excited about it – more than we ever
thought! The parenting community
needs something like this. There aren’t
any films about parenthood that are
so achievable and relatable. We are not
full-time adventurers or professional
athletes. We are just parents who have
the same priority in life and spend as
much time as possible outside. We want
to share that with everyone, to let all
parents know how easy it is to give their
children a lifestyle that allows them to
step away from technology and connect
with nature; whether that be climbing
mountains, week-long camping trips
or more outside play right in your own
backyard, parks or local trails. We are not
anti-technology, but there needs to be a
healthy balance. Children need to spend
more time outside.
PHOTOGRAPHY@MORGANBRECHLERAND@JAREDMARVEL

5. YOU SAY YOU’RE
‘MULTICULTURALLY IN LOVE’!
DO TELL… My man is French-Italian
and comes from the Côte d’Azur in the
South of France, whereas I am German-
Chadish and come from the north of
Germany. This is where northern and
southern culture meets [laughs].
WHY AMSTERDAM? I moved when
I was seven months pregnant and don’t
regret it at all. Amsterdam is a city
with a great quality of life. People from
all over the world live here, adding an
international touch; there is a strong
positive vibe in the air. People are not
stressed or grumpy and enjoy living in
this city. This reflects as well on how
people raise children. It starts with
transportation; almost everyone cycles
here and when it comes to parents,
they do it with one to four – sometimes
more – kids on one bike, no matter the
weather. It’s easy to let kids just be kids
and have fun.
WHAT IS AN AVERAGE DAY FOR
YOU? I work freelance [in PR] and I
reserve three days per week for my work.
On those days, my son goes to daycare.
I mostly work from home or in one of
the various cafes in Amsterdam, but I
do also travel to Paris quite frequently as
one of my clients is based there. In the
evenings, we always have a warm meal
together as a family – I love to cook!
When my son is not in daycare, we take
it slow, have a long breakfast and do
something fun together.
MOST VALUABLE PARENTING
ADVICE YOU’VE RECEIVED?
Someone told me that when it comes to
small children, everything is just a phase.
I know there are people who hate this
saying but personally, remembering these
words always helps me see the light at the
end of the tunnel when things get tough.
YOUR OWN MUM WAS RIGHT
ABOUT… No matter the changes life
brings, you can always make the best of it
and grow into the new role that results.
HOW ABOUT THE WORK-LIFE
JUGGLE? Before having a child, I
worked a lot; my job was my everything,
I really lived for it. However, since I
became a mother, I know there is more in
life. I still love my job but I also love my
child. These first years in the life of my
son are so precious and I want to be there
with him because time goes fast and we
never get it back. I said goodbye to the
corporate world to work freelance. This
is a decision that my man and I made
together because it works best for our
family. We are more flexible when our
son gets sick or something else happens.
It’s good to reduce stress and you cannot
imagine how much more creative I have
become since I have more time.
HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN A
HAPPY RELATIONSHIP AS A
WORKING COUPLE? It is so
important to spend time together and
have moments when we can put the
whole parenting thing aside. Going for
dinner, enjoying a concert feels so good.
THE MOST SPECIAL MOMENT
YOU’VE SHARED WITH YOUR
SON? Last summer, we went to my
mother’s house. It was hot so when we
arrived, my son got naked straight away
and ran off. I found him at some point
somewhere in the garden where he was
eating raspberries from the bushes while
looking at the plants all around him. I
felt like I could see through his eyes, like
I was sent back into my own childhood
in that moment. It was so beautiful.
WHAT IS YOUR DREAM FOR
YOUR CHILDREN? My dream for
them is a healthy and happy life where
they can be 100 per cent themselves. >
NERAM
NIMINDE
LIVES: Amsterdam, Netherlands
OCCUPATION: PR consultant for brands
such as Bugaboo, Kusmi Tea and Løv Organic,
blogger (littlebirdsmama.com)
MUM TO: Thiago, 2, and baby number two
(a girl) due this month
@thereal_littlebirdsmama

6. IT’S EARLY DAYS, BUT WHAT
HAS MOTHERHOOD ALREADY
TAUGHT YOU? To slow down and
just savour this incredibly special time.
It has taught me that women are beyond
amazing and our bodies are built do
some pretty mind-blowing things. I
didn’t think I could love my husband any
more but somehow I do – seeing him
with Hendrix seriously melts my heart.
TAKE US THROUGH AN AVERAGE
DAY PRE-BABY? Every day was
pretty different as a lot of my work is
project-based, but it would generally
start with a morning beach walk, brekky
and a strong coffee and then onto
the computer for emails and client’s
digital projects. After lunch, I focused
more on my personal business, the art
shop (Peppa Hart) and clothing store
(Hartland + Co). I tried to schedule
meetings for the afternoon. I usually
worked after dinner until I went to bed,
just on my laptop on the couch. My
husband works interstate so we spend
our time between two homes so when
I am interstate, the days look pretty
similar but my meetings move to Skype
meetings and I work from cafes
a little more so I don’t get stuck
inside too long.
AND WHAT DO YOUR DAYS
LOOK LIKE NOW? My days now
completely revolve around the feeding
and sleeping patterns of Hendrix. I put
him down at around 9am and he sleeps
for four hours straight, so that’s my time
to smash through work. The afternoons
are a little more all over the place at
the moment so I just take every day
as it comes. I am also very spoilt with
my mum and my mother-in-law being
available any time to help with baby
snuggling if I have a deadline. My
clients have been so understanding
– the majority of them are mothers
and completely get it if we have had
a sleepless night and are a little slower
getting projects over the line compared
to normal.
DO YOU PLAN ON TAKING
TIME OFF OR WILL YOU KEEP
RUNNING THE BUSINESSES?
I took seven days off and then got back
into it. I was feeling really good so I
thought, why not? I’m not working as
crazy as I usually do and am being a little
more selective with what I am taking
on. I’m not taking on any styling work
at the moment as it’s quite physical, but
the digital and branding side is easier to
do from my home studio.
WHAT QUALITIES OF YOUR
OWN MUM’S WOULD YOU LIKE
TO INHERIT? My mum was always so
supportive of everything I
have ever dreamt of doing
in my career and my
personal life. She always
said ‘go for it’ and then
would be there for me if
it wasn’t exactly how I
imagined. No matter how
wild or crazy my ideas
were, she would support
me. I would love my kids
to feel they can dream big.
My dad has played polo
professionally his whole
life and made a living
from something that he loved.
YOUR BIGGEST DESIRE? I just
want Hendrix to be happy and I want
him to have the best life we can possibly
provide him and grow into a humble,
gorgeous person. I want him to know
that we will always adore and be here
for him. I hope he one day understands
the magnitude of our love for him.
MOST VALUABLE PARENTING
ADVICE YOU’VE RECEIVED? Do
not feel pressured to be the perfect
mother! Just go with your instincts; that
is how we are parenting at the moment.
I didn’t get too wrapped up in reading a
million books. I want to see how we go
and if I need help, I can put my hand up.
HOW DO YOU HOPE HENDRIX
DESCRIBES YOU AS A MUM IN
YEARS TO COME? I hope he says,
‘My mother loved me unconditionally.’
I hope he says we lived an incredible
life filled with adventure, travel and
a crazy amount of laughter.
SOPHIE
BELL
LIVES: Gold Coast, Australia
OCCUPATION: Stylist, digital
strategist and director of Hartland + Co
and Peppa Hart
MUM TO: (brand new) Hendrix
@peppahart